And now my watch begins: a Batgirl origins story (slow updates)
by apensivelady
Summary: Dressed up for a costume party as a female version of Batman, Doctor Barbara Gordon, PhD, saves a life and becomes news as Batgirl. With no intentions of becoming a vigilante, Barbara dresses herself as Batgirl once more after GCPL is robbed. But will Barbara be able to drop the cowl after finishing her mission?
1. Overture

**1\. Overture**

She was sitting at the kitchen table when she heard the front door open. On the table were scattered books, papers, notebooks, some pens and pencils. Right in front of her there was an open laptop, where she typed profusely.

"Still up?" Standing in the kitchen entrance, her father looked at the messy table. Without taking her green eyes from the screen, she answered, "Gotta finish this paper."

He went close to her and laid a kiss on the top of her head. "I'm sorry I'm arriving so late these past few days."

Lifting her head, a sly smile upon her lips, she teased him, "Are you talking about the last 28 years, Commissioner James Gordon?" To that he just sighed and sat down at the table. "I'm kidding, dad." Getting up from her seat, she started to make the space in front of her father free. "I made some pasta." She kissed his grey head and went to the fridge. Observing his daughter, he got up to fetch himself a bottle of beer. "You know I can warm my own dinner, right?"

"I know; but I don't mind," she answered while working dexterously on the stove, without lifting her eyes from the pan. "Besides, you would probably put this in the microwave, ruining my fantastic dish." A smirk upon her face, she glanced at her father, who just rolled his eyes and drank some of his beer.

Indicating the mess on the table with his head, he asked, "Is this for the symposium?" For quite some time she had been organising an academic event, which made her work even more than she already did. "Yes. I'm finishing my paper." She put the pasta in a plate and served her father, going back to where she had been sitting.

After some mouthfuls while observing his daughter work, Commissioner Gordon spoke again, "You know, sometimes I worry about you, kid."

His daughter lifted her eyes from the computer screen and looked to him. "Me?!" She was genuinely surprised.

"Yes, you. You're either at work or at home. You should go out more, Barbara."

"Dad, I do go out," keeping her eye-roll under control, she turned her attention back to her text.

"Really?" His tone was sarcastic now. "When was the last time you went out?"

"Last night," she answered without stopping her typing.

"No, you went to your mixed martial arts training. I'm talking about going to the movies, meeting friends, going on a date…"

Barbara sighed and looked at her father, "Dad–"

"I'm your father, worrying about you is part of the job!" He shrugged and ate some more before continuing, "At least you're going to the ball, right?"

"Yes, I am. I won't let you be the only member of the Gordon family subject to ridicule."

Commissioner Gordon looked fondly at his daughter and thanked her. "You know, Officer Bard will be there-" Now she made sure her father saw her rolling her eyes, but she uttered no word.

It didn't take much longer for Commissioner Gordon to finish his dinner; getting up from the table, he took the dishes to the sink. "Don't stay up late, Barbara. I mean, later than it already is."

"I won't."

He didn't actually believe her. They were too much alike, and he had been working later than he should for decades.


	2. Bats feast at night

**2\. Bats feast at night**

Barbara was extremely tired. Yet, she would have to endure a few more hours of small talk before she could finally throw herself on her bed and sleep at her content. Being Doctor Barbara Gordon, PhD, Head Librarian of Gotham City Public Library, she had to endure the cocktail party that closed _Gotham City Public Library's Third Symposium on Preservation, Conservation and Restauration of the Human Record_ ; after all, **she** was the one who had decided to revive the event after some forty years of oblivion.

After having talked with a few of Gotham's socialites, who sought to promote themselves through the donation of some of their money to the library, she went to the bar. "Straight scotch, please." Barbara had barely told the bartender her order, when a tall, dark, blue-eyed, square-jawed, handsome man in his late thirties approached her. "A rather bold choice, Doctor Gordon. I wouldn't take you for a straight scotch type." As the bartender served Barbara, the man next to her ordered, "A Vesper martini, please." Barbara drank a little bit of her scotch and turned to the man, "Well, I may not look like a straight scotch type, but your order does correspond to the billionaire philanthropist playboy cliché, Mr. Wayne." She smirked and took another drink.

He looked impressed at her answer and continued the conversation, changing its subject. "I would like to offer you my congratulations on the successful event, Doctor Gordon." Back to her professional mode, Barbara answered him, "Thank you, Mr. Wayne. And thank you for the grant from Wayne Foundation that made this symposium possible." The bartender brought Bruce Wayne's drink and, after thanking him, Bruce continued, "It is always a pleasure to help relevant initiatives like this one. Unfortunately, I have to confess that I don't personally evaluate every application that Wayne Foundation receives." Barbara nodded her head and added, "In any case, I'd like to thank you on behalf of GCPL". She hoped the man would be satisfied now, would tell her goodbye and would leave. However, he didn't. He merely gestured to the space in front of him and said, "I think it's best if we continue our conversation where we don't get in the way of others who want to order their beverages." Barbara put herself in motion, and Bruce was soon by her side.

She was having a hard time coming up with something to say next when he resumed the conversation, "I enjoyed the symposium enormously. A lot of things I learned here will be put into practice in Wayne Enterprises and Wayne Foundation. Oh, and at Wayne Manor as well, considering my family gathered a rather unique collection throughout the years." Barbara merely nodded and drank some scotch, wondering if he was a vacuous playboy well versed on social pleasantries and situations, or if he was being genuine. Bruce went on, "Particularly fascinating was your lecture on the role of bats in pest control, Doctor Gordon."

"Thank you, Mr. Wayne. I appreciate it."

"I was unaware of the fact that bat colonies existed in libraries and helped the preservation of their collections through their diet of bookworms. I suppose bats are not the hideous creatures most people think them to be."

"Most certainly not." Barbara couldn't understand where he was going with that conversation. "Besides, Mr. Wayne, I hardly think anyone in Gotham would see those animals so. After all, the residing vigilante made us all far more tolerant regarding bats."

"Indeed." For a moment Barbara thought Bruce's expression darkened, but if that had actually happened, it was a change of short duration. "The renewed conservation and preservation policies of GCPL are also worth praising. And I don't mean just your discovery of a colony of bats here, the **right** kind, and its integration to the preservation and conservation policies of the library, but also the educational programme for children."

"Thank you for your enthusiasm, Mr. Wayne. I believe freedom of information and adequate methods for its management and availability are crucial to the transformation of Gotham. Teaching our children about the importance of information and its materiality is essential to the construction of their identities and citizenship. Besides, considering how corrupt our city is and that people are far more interested in the disappearance, not to say destruction, of human records than in their preservation, educating children is part of our duty in building a better Gotham. Without records there is no evidence of criminal activity and no information on how to fight crime, so if we can enlighten the Gothamite children, maybe we have a shot at making this city less corrupt."

Bruce looked surprised after Barbara stopped talking, "You are absolutely right, Doctor Gordon. Wayne Foundation had helped this library before, but I suppose it has not been enough. I feel like, as one of the few privileged in this city, I should do more regarding this matter."

"Mr. Way–"

"There you are!" A tall, dark, blue-eyed, square-jawed, handsome young man in his early twenties approached them. He was slightly slimmer and a little bit shorter than Bruce. "I was looking for you!"

"What are you doing here, Dick?" Bruce looked at Dick Grayson's hand and before the younger man could answer, Bruce quickly added, "And what are you drinking?!"

"Kryptonite!" Barbara could see in Bruce's features that this answer made him rather more unsettled. Dick probably realised the same, so he continued, "It's a drink made of vodka, mint liquor and ice." Bruce Wayne raised his eyebrows and in a judging tone repeated, "Vodka and mint liquor?"

" **And** ice!" The young man sipped some of the drink through a straw. "Don't look at me like that, Brucie! I'm 21 now!"

Sighing, Bruce seemed to remember Barbara's presence. "Doctor Gordon, this is my son, Richard Grayson. Dick, this is the Head Librarian of Gotham City Public Library, Doctor Barbara Gordon."

Dick eagerly shook hands with Barbara. "You don't look like a librarian, Doctor!" he exclaimed in jest, with a playful smile upon his face.

"Librarians come in all shapes and sizes," answered Barbara, shrewdly. She followed her answer with a drink of her scotch.

Not long afterwards, a middle aged woman with her brown hair up on a voluminous bun and cat-eye glasses approached their little group. "Excuse me, Doctor Gordon, Mr. Wayne–" She stopped for a moment, thinking on how to address the third in the party. When she found out how to call him, she continued, "Young man… Miss Vale from the Gotham Gazette is looking for you, Doctor Gordon."

"Thank you, Miss Prentice. Excuse me, Mr. Wayne, Mr. Grayson. I must leave you." Bruce and Dick nodded, giving her leave to depart. Watching Barbara walk away with Miss Prentice, Dick turned to Bruce, "Now, **that** lady does look like a librarian."

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

1\. Bats are used as pest control in two Portuguese libraries: the Biblioteca Joanina and the Mafra Palace Library. As explained in a Boston Globe article ( _Bats eat bookworms_ , by Kevin Hartnett, 17 September 2013), "the bats, which are less than an inch long, roost during the day behind 'elaborate rococo bookcases' and come out at night to hunt insects which otherwise would feast on the libraries' books."

2\. Miss Prentice is a librarian who appears in episode 23 of the 1966 Batman television show, titled _The Ring of Wax_.


	3. Not much to listen to

**3\. Not much to listen to**

 _Now it is a strange thing, but things that are good to have and days that are good to spend are soon told about, and_ _ **not much to listen to**_ _; while things that are uncomfortable, palpitating, and even gruesome, may make a good tale, and take a deal of telling anyway._

J. R. R. Tolkien. _The Hobbit_

* * *

Barbara Gordon's management of Gotham City Public Library led to a large increase in its overall use. Consequently, a lot more was demanded from the library's employees, and even from Barbara herself. Immersed in her many regular duties, Barbara still had to deal with many contingencies, from the news that a famous thief of rare books had made his first robbery in the USA, to having to fill in as a tour guide when an employee called in sick, which was exactly what she must contend with that very day.

Gotham Academy's seventh graders were about to arrive, and instead of taking one of her employees from their designated duties, Barbara decided to take care of the visitors herself. She hadn't been much of a fan of teenagers when she was one of them, and she was sure that her current 28-year-old self had not grown much fonder of that demographics. Yet, she put on her best professional face and walked to the group of teenagers dressed in the blue and grey uniform of Gotham Academy.

As expected, the overall teenager had not changed much since Barbara had been one herself. However, here was the thing that she knew from her teenager days: more often than not, teenagers could be positively surprising. Upon this knowledge and her own memories of adults who tried to "fit in" with adolescents, a rather pathetic sight, she did exactly what she had always wanted from adults when she was a teenager herself; she treated them as her equals. With this, Barbara managed to be seen as an authority figure while remaining approachable. Of course, there were always those kids that thought that caring about anything was a sign of conformity, so they would do whatever was in their power to show how rebellious they were. These she just ignored.

The seventh graders got very interested in what Barbara had to tell and show them. Her explanation regarding what was information and what was being informed opened many minds, and resonated with the students. They were fascinated by the notion that they could do their own research to investigate the veracity of what they were taught at school, much to the displeasure of some of the accompanying teachers. The students were also filled with both wonder and dread at topics like online privacy and information security. However, what filled Barbara's bookworm heart with joy, was the interest shown by the teenagers on the importance of the material aspects of information, be it analog or digital.

The visit ended up being a success, even though there was one teacher who came to Barbara to tell her that some of the things she said were not adequate, for the students might conclude that they could think for themselves. "Oh, I do hope they did come to that conclusion!" was the only thing Barbara replied before leaving to resume her regular duties as head librarian.

As workaholism was a genetic predisposition of the Gordons, even though it was way past six o'clock, Barbara was still working. Needing access to a document located in the library's permanent archive, situated opposite to her office, Barbara was crossed the library's lobby when the sight of one of the Gotham Academy students stopped her. The boy sat at the foot of the big marble staircase in the middle of the entrance hall, his backpack resting on the floor next to his feet. He was reading a big book that rested on his lap. As Barbara got closer to him, she identified the boy as one of the most engaged ones during the visit, one who asked many questions and was occasionally bullied by the "cool" kids

"What are you doing here all alone?" Barbara asked sweetly, approaching him.

His dark haired head lifted up, and a beautiful pair of blue eyes stared at her. "I guess my..." he started as he rose to his feet, "Family had some trouble and hasn't been able to pick me up yet." His answer was matter-of-factly, and he didn't sound upset by the fact he uttered. Actually, the tone of his answer led Barbara to believe he was used to this kind of situation.

"I see… And you decided to wait here? On the hall? After your earlier enthusiasm I supposed you'd be happy exploring our collections…" Barbara sat down on a step and the boy followed, sitting next to her.

"Oh, I much rather roam the shelves, but I wanted to be clearly on sight for when my legal guardian arrived." He must have seen the surprise in Barbara's face at his words, because he started again, speaking rather hastily, "I'm terrible at talking to strangers about this. Not that you're strange. I mean, I met you today, so you are a stranger, but you're not strange. In the sense of weird. You're not weird-" He was blushing profusely at this point, so Barbara stopped him by laying a hand over one of his.

"You don't have to explain me anything." Her words were soft and low, but he still explained himself.

"It's just that I have a semantics problem, you know?" Barbara raised her eyebrows at this. "Because I… I don't really know how to refer to my legal guardian when I need to. You know, to strangers." He looked like he was about to start rambling again, so Barbara stopped him by saying she understood his meaning. He continued, "Yeah, so… You see, I was adopted after my parents died, rather recently, so I don't call my adoptive father 'father', because I can't bring myself to it, even if I'm talking to a stranger. And 'adoptive father' sounds so weird, you know, in a random chat. Like, 'oh, I'm waiting for my adoptive father!' It always makes people uncomfortable. It makes **me** uncomfortable. And when I go, "oh, I'm waiting for Bruce", which is how I call my adoptive father/legal guardian, because it's his name, I always end up having to explain who he is anyways, so… 'Legal guardian' may be weird, but it is in a sort of limbo between comfortable and uncomfortable, because it's enough to access my effective situation while it doesn't make me say the word 'father', and it's enough for strangers to get that I'm not waiting for a parent. But it still causes some uncomfortable situations, so-"

"It's a semantics problem." They said simultaneously. Both remained in silence for some time, and the boy was the first to speak again, "It's Bruce Wayne, by the way."

"Excuse me?"

"My legal guardian. After my parents died, Bruce Wayne adopted me. I'm his third 'son'", he air quoted the last word. "He has a soft spot for orphans, having been one himself, you know?"

Barbara smiled and nodded. Yet, she thought it would be better to change the course of the conversation, "I'm sorry, but even though you know who I am, I still don't know your name…"

"Timothy" he said as he extended his hand, "Timothy Drake."

Barbara took his hand in hers and shook it. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Drake."

"Just Tim is fine."

"Very well... Tim."

She smiled at him and he smiled back at her, telling her, "You don't have to keep me company or anything. I'm thirteen, you know?"

"Oh well, since this is the case…" Barbara said sarcastically as she pretended to be getting ready to stand up and leave. As she straightened herself, she continued, "I really don't mind keeping you company, but if you prefer me to leave-"

"No! I just don't want to be a bother…" He duck his head, attempting to hide his blush.

"Well, you're not." Barbara gave him a sweet smile when he looked back up and indicated the book on his lap with a movement of her head, " _The Lord of the Rings_ , huh? Are you a first time reader or are you rereading it?"

"First time reader. Have you read it?"

"More times than I can count." Barbara blushed a little and looked at the page where the book was opened. "Oh, you have just met my favourite character!" She pointed to the passage where the character was first mentioned, and added, "I think Faramir was my very first love. He ruined all real men to me." _Wait, did I just tell a thirteen-year-old I have a major crush on a fictional character?!_

"I think my very first crush was Lucy Pevensie, from _The Chronicles of Narnia_." He blushed again.

"Well, how can one not love Lucy?" Barbara felt an immense relief at the boy's answer. Instead of judging her for her love of a fictional character, he was revealing he was just like her.

As his blush faded, he spoke again, "Since you're keeping me company, would you mind me asking a few more questions…?"

Of course, Barbara didn't have any objections. He asked her about the topics covered earlier during the tour, being eager for more details. She answered all of his questions, and soon they were debating the laws, customs and morality enveloping the world of information.

It was the first time in a long while that Barbara had such an interesting conversation with someone new, and she felt she had been kind of blessed by having found such a smart kid to talk to and renew her faith in the work she was doing.

Neither could precise how long they had been talking when they were approached by a third party. A young man entered the library and walked towards them, calling for the boy.

"Dick!" Tim rose up to his feet, Barbara following the motion. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I came to pick you up and take you home! When Bruce arrived at the manor Tim-less, Alfred freaked out, and before Bruce could get into one of his fancy cars to rescue you, Alfred called me and asked me to pick you up and take you home, considering I was already in the city." Dick used the pause in his speech to muss the hair of his little "brother". Looking at Barbara, he started again, "But I suppose Alfred was stressed for nothing. You look like you were having the time of your life talking to the beautiful Doctor here. Hey Doc!"

"Hello." Barbara answered.

"So, how is everything going?" Dick asked her.

"Fine, Mr. Grayson."

"I really did impress you, huh? Remembering my name after just one brief introduction…" He smirked.

"I have an eidetic memory, Mr. Grayson."

"Richard, please."

"Dick, we should really get going. You know how Alfred gets when we're late for dinner…" Dick's manner was starting to make Tim uncomfortable.

"Just a moment, Tim. So, Doc, I have this class on intellectual property-"

"Dick, stop bothering Doctor Gordon. I'm sure she needs a very much deserved rest after such a long day of work, especially because she had to put up with a bunch of teenagers…"

"Oh, of course. I just want to ask a quick question, Doc."

Barbara saw how anxious Tim was, so she decided to make the boy a little more comfortable. "It's alright. You may ask your question, Mr. Grayson."

"Richard. And, as I was saying, I'm taking this class on intellectual property, and seeing you are an information professional of the highest rank, I would like to know if you would be available for consultation or for an official interview. You know, we always have to hand in an essay by the end of the semester, and the symposium of a few days ago gave me some great ideas regarding the conflicting nature of intellectual property and the preservation of information records that are bound by intellectual property legislation. You know, the good ol' private versus public interest debate..."

Tim couldn't help himself, he facepalmed.

The tone used by Dick didn't escape Barbara. It was a mixture of genuine inquiry and light flirting that amused her. She answered him in the same manner, "Well, your topic is a very interesting one, although I'm sure you understand the nature of academic research, and therefore you have to delimitate the spectrum of your analysis before starting to work, but I'm sure your university has a very good collection for you to research in. Nonetheless, if you do think that the perspective of someone with present, concrete experience on the matter will benefit your research, my work schedule is kept by my secretary, so if you would be so kind as to call her, I'm sure she can book you an appointment with me."

As Barbara finished her speech with a smile, she could see the surprise in Dick's face, his dark eyebrows raised and his blue eyes wide open.

Tim used his brother's momentary speechlessness to take control over the situation, "Good bye, Doctor Gordon. Thank you so much for the exemplary tour. And thank you very much for keeping me company."

"You're welcome, Tim. And if you have any other questions, you may contact me whenever you want. Now, if you'll excuse me..." With that, Barbara turned away from them, returning to her office.

Dick watched her walk away, mesmerised. Tim gave him a playful punch in one of his arms and added, "She is way out of your league, dude!"


	4. Alfred, I think this is the beginning

**4\. Alfred, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful partnership**

Barbara Gordon wasn't one who wished to be part of Gotham's high society. If anything, she might actually be a little prejudiced against them. Raised in a middle class home with a father very little inclined to seek the high and mighty, she could never have imagined that her life would be permanently linked to the Waynes.

Not long after the visit of the adopted Waynes to GCPL, Barbara was reached by Bruce Wayne himself. He called Barbara to ask her on the possibility of providing consulting services to Wayne Enterprises. According to him, his company was in need of an updated system of data protection, and his current contact with Barbara rendered her the best person for the task. Barbara agreed on a meeting to get a grasp of the overall situation and accorded on having lunch with him at Wayne Manor the following Saturday.

Bruce had offered one of the Wayne Enterprises' drivers to pick her up, but Barbara insisted on driving herself. At the appointed time, she parked her restored bright yellow 1967 VW Beetle at the mansion's front gate. She identified herself through the intercom and the large gate opened up for her. As she got out of the car in front of the main building, she saw its door open to reveal a lean older man that lacked hair in the top of his head. His formal attire led Barbara to conclude that he might be the Wayne's butler.

"Good morning, Doctor Gordon!" the man greeted her in an English accent as she began to climb the front steps.

"Good morning! I'm afraid I cannot be so kind to you as you were to me, since I do not know your name." Barbara smiled at him, and he returned her the smile while telling her his name was Alfred. Alfred Pennyworth. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Pennyworth!"

"Alfred, please. Mr. Pennyworth is my late father." He gestured her to go inside and led her to the living room, telling her to wait there for a moment while "Master Bruce" came down to meet her.

She sat there for a little while, observing the big portraits of many generations of Waynes. She looked back to the door of the room when she heard her name called. Tim stood there with a portable video game in his hands, wearing dinosaur claw slippers, grey sweatpants and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles T-shirt. In his home outfit, he looked much more like the child he still was.

"Hi Tim!" She smiled and her face lit up at the sight of him. He seemed far shyer than the day they'd been talking in GCPL. He entered the room quietly, sitting by her side. "How have you been, Tim?"

"Good, Doctor Gordon. And you?"

"Me too. Have you progressed in your reading?"

"Yes, I did. I have now finished _The Two Towers_."

"How did you find it?"

"I really liked it!" His shyness started to go away. "And Gimli has become my favourite character."

"Oh, I love Gimli. Which is interesting, because I really disliked the dwarves in _The Hobbit_."

"Me too! They were so mean to Bilbo, and had no sense of personal space!"

"I know!"

Tim was about to speak again when Bruce Wayne's imposing figure came into the room. "Good morning, Doctor Gordon! I see you are very punctual."

"I try."

"I'm sorry I wasn't." Bruce turned to his son, "And I see you have already begun to bother Doctor Gordon!" He wasn't really scolding the boy; his tone was a teasing, but affectionate one. Barbara felt like she was seeing a side of the man that he didn't really let out in public. Still, she was ready to defend her little friend.

"He wasn't bothering me. We were actually discussing our literary analysis of classic literature." She winked at Tim.

"Oh, really? And pray tell me which classic you were discussing!" He still looked at the boy, using the same tone of before.

" _The Lord of the Rings_." Tim answered.

"Oh. Well, I can't really deny the status of the work as a classic. Not when I have read it every year of my life since I was eleven." That was a confession that Barbara most certainly didn't expect from billionaire philanthropist playboy Bruce Wayne. Could the man be as much of a nerd as his son was?

"Oh well, then I guess this book really **is** old!" Tim had a mischievous look on his face as he addressed Bruce, who just crossed his arms and gave his son an outraged look.

"Weren't you supposed to have a brother and brother day with Dick?"

"Yeah, but he hasn't arrived yet, so..." Tim put his feet on the coffee table in front of him and went back to playing his video game. Now he looked very much like a teenager bent on annoying his parents, which was exactly what the situation was.

Footsteps could be heard in the corridor, and they were soon followed by "Where is the welcoming to the prodigal son who comes back home?!" Not long afterwards, Dick Grayson entered the living room, motorcycle helmet in a gloved hand, dishevelled helmet hair, black boots, dark blue jeans and a black leather jacket zipped up to his neck.

Barbara couldn't really help being astonished. She knew Dick Grayson was easy on the eyes, but this was something else. She had a hard time taking her eyes off of him. She just hoped her face wasn't giving her away.

Upon seeing Barbara, Dick smirked. "Hey Doc! If you wanted to see me again you could have just asked for my number the other day, there was no need to come to the old man's house looking for me!" While speaking he tapped Bruce's shoulder, who was still standing.

"Dick!" Bruce's tone was a reprimanding one now. However, he didn't have any time to scold his older son, for almost immediately Barbara answered on her own.

"Yeah, it would be easier, but not as fun as stalking you." And after a short pause, "Dick." Through her peripheral vision, she could see Bruce looking confused at his younger son. Meanwhile, Dick blushed profusely, being left speechless by Barbara once more.

Bruce was the first to break the silence, "So, where are you taking Tim? And I hope you're not planning on taking him on that motorcycle with you..."

"First of, it's not a motorcycle, Bruce. It's a Harley." _He has a point_ , Barbara thought. _Harleys are so much more than mere motorcycles!_

Bruce couldn't care less, "You two are not going anywhere in this vehicle."

"Bruce, the other day, when you **forgot** to pick up your son, I was the one who got him at the library and brought him home. In this very same **vehicle**."

"That was different."

"You know what? You are right, Bruce." Dick put his better face of resigned, good boy on. "It was different. So, if you would be so kind as to borrow me the Ferrari, we'll be on our way." Bruce just raised and incredulous eyebrow at his older son. "Well," Dick continued, "the Porsche it is then!"

Barbara smiled in amusement. She most definitely didn't expect to see such a familial scene when she got out from home to come to Wayne Manor.

They were interrupted by Alfred's entrance. "Lunch is served, Master Bruce."

"Thank you, Alfred. We'll be there in a minute."

"Should I add places on the table for Master Richard and Master Timothy?"

"No, Alfred. There is no need. Dick is taking Tim out on a brother and brother day. It will be just Doctor Gordon and myself."

"Is the Doc eating here?!" Dick's blue eyes sparkled.

"Doctor Gordon and I are having lunch to discuss business. And you are going to take good care of your brother, which means **no** motorcycles."

Alfred looked slyly at Bruce from the corner of his eyes and went to the young man, handing him keys. "Here, Master Richard. The DB9 GT keys."

"Alfred!" While Bruce stressed over his Aston Martin, Dick hugged the family's butler looking like a child on Christmas morning.

When he was unwrapped from Dick's arms, Alfred turned to someone else, "Master Timothy, you probably should put some shoes on. I don't believe dinosaur claw slippers are very fitting to any other environment than one's home." Tim obeyed at once, and Alfred followed the boy. As she heard them going up the stairs, Bruce remembered something, going after them. Barbara could hear him climbing the steps saying something about a jacket.

With the two of them left alone, Dick sat down in front of Barbara and said, "Sorry about the ruckus."

Smiling, Barbara said, "Nah, I had a great deal of fun seeing you rich people having the same arguments that we, the poor, have. Except for the whole Ferrari-Porsche-Aston Martin debate. We'd be debating over taking daddy's Volvo or public transportation." He laughed at that, a big smile remaining on his face once the laughter stopped. Barbara became very aware of how beautiful he looked smiling, and unconsciously made a mental note to get him to smile more.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, what is the business you and Bruce are discussing?"

"The upgrade of Wayne Enterprises' data security system."

Dick made a displeased face and shook his head. More to himself than to Barbara, he said in a low tone, "Only Bruce to invite a beautiful woman to have lunch with him to discuss data security systems..."

"Excuse me?" Barbara lifted an eyebrow.

He blushed a little. "Uh, it's just that, you know, it's a beautiful day outside, and, uh, Bruce is making you spend it indoors, working..." The more he talked, the redder he got. _Adorable!_ Barbara just nodded, looking at him knowingly while he fidgeted with his helmet.

Before an awkward silence grew between them, Barbara decided to make small talk, "If you don't mind me asking, what are you majoring in?"

"I got my undergraduate major in Romani studies. I'm in Law School now." He smirked at the surprise in her face. "What? I'm more than just a pretty face." His flirty tone was back.

Disconcerted, Barbara said, "I, uh, I just thought you were still an undergraduate, that's all." She held her head down, looking at her hands, for she was sure that the flush in her face was clearly visible.

Almost immediately, Tim came back into the living room, perfectly geared up with trainers and a jacket, Bruce right behind him. The four of them said their goodbyes – Dick making some more flirty remarks at Barbara – and as soon as his sons got out, Bruce led Barbara to the dining room.

After apologising for his family interference and his eldest son's flirty behaviour, Bruce proceeded on explaining to Barbara why he wanted her as a consultant, "A few years ago, one of my company's employees was arrested for insider trading. Drury Walker was an excellent collaborator of the IT department, and, as I came to discover later, a brilliant hacker who managed to make a great deal of money through privileged information he got illegally from my company." Bruce stopped to take a drink from his wine. "He created a sophisticated system that gave him access to all the confidential information from Wayne Enterprises, even that to which he wasn't granted access from his position in the company. Walker made a multimillion-dollar system of data security look like a cheap plastic padlock." Bruce shook his head and drank some more wine.

"From then on the company has done everything that was possible to stay one step ahead of cybercriminals, but of recently I've realised that a broader vision is necessary to deal with this issue. I don't usually deal in person with this kind of problem, but since Walker's release from prison, the press has covered his history and the repercussions of his crimes, exposing the impact of his actions in the lives of people, not the rich, but the middle class and the poor. Innocent people are suffering from a fail in a system I am supposed to be responsible for".

Barbara had read about Drury Walker's case and about how many people were still suffering the consequences of the crimes he had committed many years ago. She just didn't know Bruce held himself indirectly responsible for them. The things she'd been discovering about the most famous billionaire philanthropist playboy from Gotham surprised her.

Bruce finished his glass of wine and continued, "More than upgrading its data security system, I wish to develop an information policy for Wayne Enterprises, a policy of transparency, so that society knows what it is that we do, how we make our products and carry out our services, how we spend our money and where it comes from. I don't want a few people to be privileged with information that may make them rich at the expense of people who were not equally informed. I don't want to see people committing suicide because they fell for a pyramid scheme that a fraudulent employee of mine concocted."

Barbara remembered having read about a suicide related to Drury Walker's crimes in one of the special pieces that Gotham Gazette had been publishing since the criminal was releases from prison. Bruce Wayne's voice was clearly altered when he referenced this specific case. Through his whole speech, he tried to keep his voice levelled, matter-of-factly, but he reached a higher pitch when he mentioned the suicide. The change was barely there, but Barbara caught it, nonetheless.

As Barbara listened Bruce's last words on what he wanted from Wayne Enterprises' information policy, Alfred entered the dining room with two individual dark chocolate cakes covered in berry sauce. Once he put the dessert in front of his master and his guest, Barbara spoke, "Mr. Way-" She quickly corrected herself. As soon as they sat at the table to eat, they agreed on addressing each other by their first names. "Bruce, I know you want me to be part of this in some way, but I don't see how I can help you."

Bruce put his fork down. "Barbara, I haven't told you before, but your work at GCPL inspired me." Her eyes widened at that. "It also had an enormous impact in Timothy's life. There was not a day since he toured GCPL that he hadn't spoken about something he learned there.

"You are committed to the public good. You really want Gotham to change for the better, and you were intelligent enough to realise that this can only be achieved if we invest on the enlightenment of its people. As you've told me before, freedom of information and adequate methods for its management and availability are crucial to the transformation of Gotham.

"I thoroughly believe that corporate information should be ruled by those same principles. I want a data security system that favours the people as a whole, not just a few privileged individuals. I don't want information about my company to be so well guarded that a very intelligent man manages to have access to it and uses it to become rich at the expense of people that trusted him in good faith.

"Barbara, I don't want you to contribute with your expertise on information technology. I want you to contribute with your expertise on how information is supposed to make people's lives better and on how it should be made available and managed."

* * *

As Barbara drove back home after having spent most of her day at Wayne Manor, she tried to make sense of everything that had happened. Bruce Wayne offered her the opportunity to work on a highly progressive data security system and information policy. He also offered funding an educational programme at GCPL devoted to teach people how to deal with corporate and financial information. His proposal would surely diminish the value of Wayne Enterprises, even if just temporarily. In the best-case scenario, it would be temporary. Where was the catch?

Bruce Wayne always figured in the top ten of Forbes magazine, top rich people, top influent people, etc. His bank accounts were bigger than some countries' gross domestic product. He lived in a mansion, owned expensive cars and private airplanes, and had a list of supermodel girlfriends that rivalled the numbers in his bank accounts. How could this man be serious about everything he had told her?

Yet, he was the same man that looked shaken by the outcomes of a crime he had nothing to do with, a crime of which he was himself a victim. He couldn't bear the harm that a fraudulent employee had done.

He was also the man who claimed to read _The Lord of the Rings_ every single year since he was eleven, and who actually seemed to have gone to a symposium on preservation, conservation and restauration of the human record out of real interest for the subject.

The same man that had adopted three orphan boys for no reason whatsoever than to help those children, and that clearly loved them as his own. All over Wayne Manor were pictures of his boys, including photos of his second son, a boy who had met a tragic end years ago. It actually seemed that there were more pictures of this dead boy than from his two living sons.

That day Barbara saw no trace of the billionaire womaniser playboy from celebrity magazines. She just saw a man who wanted to help people. Had he pulled an act? And if he did, was the act the good Samaritan or the billionaire womaniser playboy?

Almost from birth, she was trained by her father to watch out for deceivers and to catch them. Who was Bruce Wayne deceiving? The world, or herself? She would have to work with him to figure it out.

* * *

 **Author's note:**

Barbara has a 1967 yellow VW Beetle because I always thought that her car in _Batgirl: Year One_ looks like an old yellow VW Beetle. I decided she'd have a 1967 model because that was the year Barbara Gordon first appeared in _Detective Comics_ (the issue was actually published in 1966, but the official publication date featured in its cover is 1967).


End file.
